Iconic melodic death metal pioneers, Dark Tranquillity, are gearing up for the release of their new album, Endtime Signals, due out August 16th, with the official worldwide listening party happening at Germany’s Summer Breeze festival next Tuesday, August 13th. Singer Mikael Stanne was guest recently on BraveWords’ Streaming For Vengeance, which airs tomorrow (August 9th) at 9AM EST.
There’s one thing to master your instruments or at least try to. But it’s another level when you master the art of actual songwriting and create something fresh, new and ultimately self-inspiring.
“Of course that comes from experience,” Stanne talks about creating their 13th album, Endtime Signals, “but I also think focus and vision. Having a vision – that may be a strong word for it. I think that was something this time around that we talked about a lot, like what do we imagine us to be, going forward and then the upcoming couple of years or where are we now. Like who are we as a band. Also, a lot of things changed in the band lineup-wise. How do we prove to ourselves and everybody that actually listens to us, that we are relevant and we have something to say. And I think that became a driving force and the purpose of this album. Really show that whatever we do really matters. That was the hardest part, to try to get there. And at the same time it gave us a reason to make sure that this was the best that I could possibly be. And be something that we can be proud of for years to come.
BraveWords: This might sound a bit silly, but you’re almost being each other’s psychiatrists.
Stanne: “Those are the things that we talk about. How do we feel about the band. How do we feel about touring. How do we feel about the world around us. We are entertainers. We started touring right after the pandemic and we had some fantastic shows in the Ukraine. And then all of a sudden we are in a tour bus in America somewhere and the war breaks out. What just happened to our friends in Russia and the Ukraine, meanwhile we are in a tour bus, waiting for a show where we scream and dance and play and it felt insignificant. We felt like ‘What is our purpose, why are we doing this right now? We could tell that the vibe and the atmosphere in the US was different. And we couldn’t even get to you in Canada. It was still closed, so that profoundly changed the view of what we do. Not just music. What do we spend our lives doing? So when we started this album, we had to reckon that, think about it and make sense of it and not drive us to make this one. It just had to be as good as we could possibly make it just to justify our reason to do this. Maybe in the past, I’ve considered myself as an optimist, try to see the good things and the silver lining and what have you. Lately I haven’t and I felt that this album should be more dystopian in nature.”
BraveWords: Talk to me abut balancing your vocals, from clean to Cookie Monster!
Stanne: “It’s a strong type of expression, that’s the way I like to view it when it comes to death metal and thrash. Extreme metal and how important it is to just scream about things. There are a lot of emotions and feelings with me that requires it or calls for it. That’s always been my thing – the stuff that I’m most angry about goes into the lyrics and the songs. And there are other aspects of our music that requires something else. That’s the way it’s always being. It’s just a matter of refining it and I’ve learned a lot the past couple of years doing other projects so I’m more comfortable with a bit of both and more melodic singing as well.”
Tune in to Streaming For Vengeance tomorrow (August 9th at 9AM EST), for the entire interview!
The pre-order phase for Endtime Signals is underway, and fans worldwide are now able to secure their copies of the various LP and CD formats as well as the digital version.
Mikael Stanne stated, “Finally, we can announce that the pre-orders for Endtime Signals start today. And to mark this monumental occasion, we also have a brand new single for you fine folks. ‘Not Nothing’ is an existential piece of Endtime Signals that we feel showcases some of the diversity that the album holds. Turn up the volume and let us know what you think!”
Endtime Signals is available for pre-order in the following formats:
– Ltd. Deluxe 2LP Gatefold edition w/ 14 tracks (“Midnight Haze” ink spot effect vinyl incl. additional black LP with 2 bonus tracks and etching & extended 8-pages LP booklet, housed in an O-Card with special die-cut)
– Ltd. Deluxe 2LP Gatefold edition w/ 14 tracks [US version] (“Neuronal Fire” splatter effect vinyl incl. additional black LP with 2 bonus tracks and etching & extended 8-pages LP booklet, housed in an O-Card with special die-cut)
– Ltd. Deluxe CD Digipak edition w/ 14 tracks (incl. 2 bonus tracks & extended 28-pages booklet, housed in an O-Card with special die-cut)
– Standard CD Jewelcase w/ 12 tracks
– 1LP Gatefold in black and various colours w/ 12 tracks
– 1LP Gatefold in black [US version] w/ 12 tracks
– Standard CD Jewelcase [Japanese version] w/ 14 tracks
Endtime Signals not only marks the 13th studio album of the band, but also their 10th album collaboration with their label Century Media Records. Building on the success of previous releases such as Atoma (2016), which climbed up to #2 in the Swedish album charts, and Moment (2020), which earned the band a Swedish Grammis award, the band is set to continue to redefine and deliver a top-tier musical experience with Endtime Signals.
Pre-order the new album here
Tracklisting:
“Shivers And Voids”
“Unforgivable”
“Neuronal Fire”
“Not Nothing”
“Drowned Out Voices”
“One Of Us Is Gone”
“The Last Imagination”
“Enforced Perspective”
“Our Disconnect”
“Wayward Eyes”
“A Bleaker Sun”
“False Reflection”
Bonus tracks:
“Zero Sum”
“In Failure”
“Not Nothing” video:
“Unforgivable” video:
“The Last Imagination” visualizer:
The band recently announced a US co-headline tour in support of their new album with Amorphis and support from Fire In the Distance in September and October, which will kick off on September 3 in Richmond, Virginia and conclude on October 6 in New York City.
Dark Tranquillity are:
Mikael Stanne – Vocals
Johan Reinholdz – Guitar
Martin Brändström – Electronics
Christian Jansson – Bass
Joakim Strandberg Nilsson – Drums
(Photo – Alessandro di Martino)